“Why write a blog??”

Yeah, why do I write a blog? I’ve been asked this a couple of times, initially by my wife who soon gave in and just let me get on with it. Simple answer: because I wanted to.

I’ve never kept a diary as a child, or anything like that, so I really don’t know why I felt compelled to start writing something, let alone a public-facing weblog and why I’ve decided to share a few personal moments with you, the reader (all with Claire’s full permission, of course).

Blogging is quite enjoyable though - somehow relaxing almost, allowing you, the writer/author, the time to focus on particular areas of the day/week that you feel you want to write about.

It’s also quite difficult, as there is absolutely no feedback loop – I carry on writing these blog posts but have no (or little) idea as to the reader’s response or reaction to it. The comments on each post are one way, but it is by no means brilliant. But my point is, there’s no real way of me finding out how many people are actually reading the blog as a whole.

I have come to hear of friends and family members who have mentioned that they’ve been following the blog, for which I am a mix of being pleased, surprised and sometimes a little embarrassed too!

Some people have asked about how they go about getting a blog started and what I’d suggest they blog about...! I’m not saying that I am, by any means, a form of authority in the world of blogging, as I’d be the first to admit that I’m still learning about all this too, as writing the posts can be difficult sometimes, especially if you’re short of material! But having something like the pending birth of our first child is my ‘focused topic’ that I’m learning about on the job and something that I thought I’d like to cut my blogging-teeth on. Two birds, one stone, and all that.

But I am pleased that people take the time to read it. Some read it on their computers as and when they can, maybe catching up on a few posts at a time; some, including my mum, have my blog address entered into Outlook 2007 and get notified within minutes of me posting the article; some even get updates sent to their iPhones and Windows Mobile devices (which I tend to do for other blogs I follow).

I’ve been asked if I would write a bit of a techie-post about how this blog system works and where I’ve got this all from. But I’ll hold off on that until I can get a few screen-shots or something to make it interesting as well as informative. And maybe after the baby is born!!